Thermoelectric evidence of the electronic structure changes from the charge-density-wave transition in FeGe

TL;DR

This study provides thermoelectric evidence for electronic structure changes associated with the charge-density-wave transition in FeGe, highlighting the impact of annealing-induced disorder on its electronic and thermal properties.

Contribution

It presents the first thermoelectric transport evidence linking electronic structure changes to the CDW transition in FeGe, influenced by annealing conditions.

Findings

Thermoelectric measurements reveal modified electrical transport due to annealing disorder.

The Nernst and Seebeck effects indicate a change in carrier sign and enhanced Nernst effect with CDW.

Disorder suppresses the CDW and alters thermal properties.

Abstract

Kagome metals provide a material platform for probing new correlated quantum phenomena due to the naturally incorporated linear dispersions, flat bands, and Van Hove singularities in their electronic structures. Among these quantum phenomena is the charge density wave (CDW), or the distortion of the lattice structure due to the motion of correlated electrons through the material. CDWs lower the energy of the compound, creating an energy gap that facilitates behaviors akin to superconductivity, nonlinear transport, or other quantum correlated phenomena. The kagome metal FeGe has been shown to host a CDW transition at approximately 100 K, and its occurrence is strongly influenced by the sample annealing conditions. However, a notable gap in the literature is the lack of clear thermoelectric transport evidence for electronic structure changes associated with this CDW transition. Here we present evidence of electron behavior modification due to annealing disorder via thermoelectric measurements on FeGe crystals presenting a CDW transition and those without a CDW. The observed Nernst effect and Seebeck effect under sufficient annealing demonstrate modified electrical transport properties resulting from induced disorder, including a change in carrier sign and an enhancement of the Nernst effect due to the CDW. Our results provide evidence of multiple phase transitions, which confirms the influence of CDW on the thermal properties of FeGe and demonstrates the suppression of CDW with sufficient disordering.